Maine Beer Company cofounder Dan Kleban announced Wednesday he is joining the Democratic field seeking to beat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.

The 48-year-old from Cumberland was working at a law firm in Portland before losing his job in 2009 amid the Great Recession and pivoting to launch a brewing business with his brother. Maine Beer Company moved over the years from an initial one-barrel shop in Portland to its expansive Freeport brewery and tasting room that employs more than 100 workers and gives 1 percent of its annual sales to environmental nonprofits.

Kleban said earlier this year that Democrats reached out to him about running for the Senate after the Bangor Daily News first mentioned him in April as a potential gubernatorial candidate. Rather than seeking to succeed

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